Charlie opened the door with a smile on her face, "Hello, new potential-FRANCIS!"
She quickly slammed the door, catching the attention of everyone in the lobby. Vaggie tilted her head at her girlfriend, "Charlie? Are you okay?"
The daughter of Lucifer took a deep breath, "Yeah! Yeah! It's uh, just that my baby brother is here! You know, the one I told you about? And um... No offense but he's only eleven and you guys are... Uh, not the best crowd to have a child around. No offense, Angel! I know we live in Hell but I don't want him exposed to anything too inappropriate."
The pink spider demon looked up from his phone, "Oh no that's actually understandable. Just don't mention my job to 'em then. I won't talk to him and he won't talk to me."
Charlie played with her fingers, "Okay, are you sure you won't talk about it-"
Angel Dust shrugged, "Yes! Okay, I got it. No mention about my work. Just open the door for the kid already before he thinks you abandoned him... Or somethin'."
The woman in the red suit nodded, "Oh yeah! Yeah, you're right!" She smiled upon opening the door again, "Hey, Francis! I didn't expect you to drop by today!"
Francis hugged his sister, jumping into her arms, "Charlie! I really wanted to surprise you today!"
She awkwardly laughed as she put him back down on the ground, "Haha, you totally diiiiid! Hahahaha, wait, did you get taller? So, um, let's introduce you to everyone else."
The boy stood up straight, "As a matter of fact, I did get taller! Thank you for noticing! I grew two inches on my horns since the last time you saw me, which totally counts! So! Who are these guys, Charlie?"
Charlie giggled at her brother and then held Vaggie's hand, "Okay, so... You remember when I told you that I've been seeing someone?" She gazed lovingly into her girlfriend's eye, who looked back at her fondly.
Francis nodded, "Yeah, I remember!"
Charlie gently pulled her love to her little brother, "Well, this is Vaggie. She is my girlfriend."
The boy tilted his head at the other woman, "Maggie?"
Vaggie actually spoke up, "Yup, you got it. I'm Maggie!"
Charlie raised an eyebrow at her girlfriend. Then Vaggie whispered, "You said you didn't want him to be exposed to anything inappropriate. My name is totally inappropriate!"
Francis stuck his hand out, "Well, it's very nice to meet you, Maggie. I already like you better than Charlie's previous... Boyfriend."
The girlfriend shook his hand, "Oh uh really?"
Charlie rolled her eyes at the thought of her ex-boyfriend. The boy stuck out his tongue as he released Vaggie's hand, "Yeah, he was just a big ol' jerk." He mockingly flexed his nonexistent muscles, "Oh hey babe, what's 2 + 2? Look at me, being all muscle and no brain. I take up the whole room with just my ego." He let out a mischievous chuckle as his sister blushed in embarrassment.
Vaggie tried to hold back a giggle as Charlie pulled the young boy away.
The older sister put an arm on the boy's shoulder, "Never mind about him. So, Francis, this is Angel. He's one of our guests at the hotel and he's a... Rock star."
Angel Dust looked up from his phone and raised an eyebrow at the hotel's owner, "I'm a what now?"
The goat boy's eyes lit up, "Woah, a rock star? That's so cool! What's it like being a rock star, Mr. Angel?"
Angel looked to Charlie, who shrugged. He frowned at her but smiled reluctantly, "Uh, it's nice, I guess."
Francis jumped on the couch next to the taller demon, "Oh! What kind of music do you sing? Can I listen to a song of your's?"
The pink demon waved his hand, "Eh, it's a real mixed bag. Besides, I don't think my music is really appropriate for a young mind such as yourself." He motioned to all of Francis.
The boy pouted, "Aw man, why?"
Charlie interrupted their conversation, putting her hands on her brother's shoulders, "Uh, Francis. How about we leave Angel alone for now. He's resting after a long music tour, he can answer your questions another time."
The young boy nodded and jumped off the couch, "Oh okay, Charlie!" He waved to the spider demon with a smile, "Talk to you later, Mr. Angel!"
Angel gave him an awkward wave back before returning his attention to his phone. Husk tried to stifle a laugh from his place behind the bar, which earned him a glare from the spider demon.
Francis smiled up at his sister as they walked away from the lobby, "So who else is here?"
Charlie's eyes darted around the hotel before landing on the small housekeeper, "Oh! Here's Niffty! She helps clean up messes around the hotel. Niffty, this is my brother, Francis."
The tiny cyclops's head snapped to Charlie's voice. She tilted her head at the boy, "Heeey, Charlie, your brother's got this big blotch riiiiight here. It looks so... Messy."
Francis started to back away as Niffty reached for the black part of his hair, "Uh... Charlie?"
Charlie tried to grab the tiny demon as she started to run after her brother, "Niffty wait!"
The goat boy ran from the cyclops trying to rip his hair out, sliding on the carpet before getting back up. He turned the corner, not noticing that a new demon popping into the room through a shadow. Francis bumped into the taller demon in the suit, his voice sounding like an old radio, "Niffty, there's no need to scare the young prince. It is just his natural hair, not a mess that needs to be cleaned."
The tiny cyclops smiled, "Hehehe, okay, sir. I'll keep that in mind!" She then took a feather duster out of her pocket and skipped away with a menacing laugh.
Francis looked up at the taller demon, "Uh... Hello, um..."
The tall demon kept his menacing grin, "Alastor, young man."
The boy got up from the floor, dusting himself off, "Wooooah, you're Alastor? My sister told me some stuff about you, like that you're the manager of the hotel. That's pretty nice of you to help my sister out! It's also nice to meet you in person." He stuck out his hand to the radio demon.
Charlie had caught up to them at that point, "Francis! Are you okay?" After looking her brother over for injuries, she gently pushed his hand down, "Alastor doesn't like touching people, Francis."
The boy stood up straight, "Ooooh, I see! Sorry about that, Mr. Alastor. And, uh, sorry for bumping into you."
Alastor closed his eyes, "It's quite alright, young Francis. You're learning, after all." He looked at his wrist, "I have some business to attend to elsewhere. It was nice meeting your younger brother, Charlie. Have a nice rest of your day, Morningstar siblings. We'll talk again another day." He smiles at them as he slips back into his shadow and slithered away.
Charlie awkwardly waved at the shadow, "Oh! Uh! Okay, Alastor! I'll see you later."
Francis tilted his head at the shadow, "He's... Odd. But cool! I can see why you work with him." He nodded his head confidently.
His sister giggled, "Yes, everyone here is a bit odd, aren't they? Now I think you have one more person to meet. Come on, he's actually back at the lobby."
The boy smiled as the pair made it back to the lobby, Angel Dust was still sitting on the couch. Though his attention remained on his phone. This time Charlie lead her brother to the small bar area, where Husk was cleaning a glass. She smiled at the winged cat man, "This is Husk, he's our bartender... Don't ask why we have a bar in here."
He saluted at his sister, "Okie dokie!" Francis climbed up and sat on one of the chairs. He spoke in a mock deep voice, "So uh, pal, what's the good stuff you got?"
The cat demon shook his head, "Not a chance, kid. The most YOU can have is a Shirley Temple, unless you'd rather a juice box."
The goat boy shook his head quickly, "A Shirley Temple would be nice, Mr. Husk. Oh! Do you need payment for it? I think I have some money in my pocket." His tongue stuck out of his mouth as he rummaged through his pocket.
Charlie went through her own pocket, "Aw Francis, you don't need to pay. I'll pay for you."
Husk let out a laugh, "Hey, no need for that. I got his payment right here." The tuxedo cat demon waves his hand behind Francis' ear, making it look like he pulled out a coin from behind his head.
Francis's face lit up as he saw the coin, "Woah! That's so cool! What else can you do, Mr. Husk?"
THe cat demon smiled, "Oh you like that trick, do you? Hehe, how about this old one?" With a flick of his wrist, he made a flower appear out of nowhere and handed it to the young boy before working on his drink.
The boy's goat tail wagged, "Woah! That is so cool! How'd you do that?"
Husk finished making the Shirley Temple and handed it to the prince, "A magician never reveals his secrets, kid. Enjoy your drink."
Angel raised an eyebrow, "...You're the son of the King of Hell and you're easily impressed by those party tricks?"
Francis's tail wagged more, "Yeah! I like 'em! It takes more effort than just waving your fingers around." He took a sip of his drink, smiling at the flavor.
The spider demon looked at Charlie, "...Okay so, you aren't the only oddball in your family."
Before Charlie could speak, Husk spoke up, "Hey easy now, Angel. Let the boy like what he likes."
Francis grinned as he finished his drink, eating the cherry once he was done, "Thank you so much, Mr. Husk. That was delicious." He got down from the bar stool to walk next to Charlie.
The cat demon shrugged at him with a smile, "Anytime, kid."
Charlie looked around the room as she led her brother towards the entrance, "Well uh, that's everyone for now... Wait! Besides Keekee! Come here, you little rascal." She holds up the black and white cat to her brother.
Francis giggled as the cat nuzzled her face to his. He pet the cat behind her ears, "Awww, she's so cute! Who's a good baby, who's a good baby? Oh yeah, is Dazzle being a good boy for you? He promised me he would do a good job!"
She whistled, summoning the two demons as she still held Keekee. Dazzle's tail wagged upon seeing Francis, flying over to him with a smile. He hugged the prince, his wings flapping happily.
Francis hugged him back, "Dazzle! I'm so glad to see you, buddy! You look like you've been doing well! And you've been doing a good job too, I'm proud of you!" The small demon smiled at his dear old friend.
The prince's eyes then went wide as he eyed the clock, "Wait! What time is it? Woah! I gotta get back before Dad notices I'm not home." He released Dazzle from the hug.
Charlie gently pushed her brother, "What! You didn't tell him you're here?"
The boy shook his head furiously, "Of course I didn't! It was a surprise visit! I MADE the limo driver bring me here!"
The princess started to gently push her brother out of the hotel, "Well go! Go! Go!" She waved at him as he made it to the limo, "But visit again! This was fun!"
The next day, Francis was in school again. He walked to his desk, where two demons sat beside him at their own. One was a dog-like demon with dark brown and white fur. His sclera was red while his irises were golden and he had two pointed ears on top of his head. He was wearing a black vest with an orange collared shirt underneath. He stood up straight on legs that were like a dog's back legs covered in black jeans, with a fluffy tail flowing behind him. He does not wear shoes, letting his paws breath freely.
The goat boy high-fived him, "Hey CJ, how you doing?"
The dog demon, now known as CJ, shrugged, "Eh, we're good. Trying to get Mort to pay more attention to the conversation."
The other boy was wearing a purple beanie, long blank pants with a white stripe on the side and a black hoodie. Underneath he was wearing a white collared shirt with a black tie. On his feet was fancy black shoes. His skin was a dark gray color, his hair was a dark blond color that poked out of his hat like straw. His eyes were purple while his sclera was a light yellow color. He was sitting at his desk, playing a video game on his portable console.
Francis put a hand on his desk, "Mort! Hey Mort! How are you doing, buddy?"
Mort looked up at him, nodding his head briefly before turning back to his game. Francis shrugged, "Eh, seems like normal stuff for Mort to me, CJ." He sat down at his desk, "So yesterday, I got to visit my sister's hotel and I even got a Shirley Temple there!"
A girl's voice spoke behind Francis, "Hey Francis, whatcha doin'?"
The prince turned and smiled at the girl with large pigtails, "Oh hey, there you are, Elissa. Just talking about how awesome my sister is with her hotel."
Elissa had dark green hair, almost black with mint green stripes and not as dark green skin. Her sclera was red with mint green irises. Her dress was a dark forest green with a grey part down the middle. She had neon green stripes throughout her dress with neon green tidal wave patterns at the bottom. His teeth were sharp and the same neon green. Her dress shoes were grey.
Elissa's eyes sparkled, "Ooooh! Your big sister is always so nice, what'd you get to do there?"
Francis smiled proudly as his friends surrounded him, "I got to meet all my sister's friends yesterday and they're all so cool. One's a rock star, another is a bartender cat guy and there was this gremlin lady who tried to rip my hair out. That... That part was weird but her manager is THE Alastor! Can you believe that?"
Mort actually looked up from his game in surprise. CJ's eyes widened, "No way dude! No one has known where Alastor was for years!"
The demonic teacher walked into their class, waving for everyone to sit down, "Alright, children, children. Settle down. I will now be taking attendance... Elissa von Eldritch."
The dark green girl waved her hand, "Present!" The teacher checked her name off the list.
"Cerberus Molossian Junior."
Everyone turned to look at CJ, who raised his hand, "Here."
The teacher checked his name off the list, "Mortician Reaper. How many times have I told you to take off that hat and hoodie, young man?"
Mort nodded his head and took off the hoodie, revealing his white collared shirt with the black tie. He still kept his hands on his beanie, not wanting to take it off.
Francis shrugged his shoulders, "Aw, miss, Mort isn't doing anything wrong with his beanie. Besides he feels much mor comfortable wearing that stuff."
The teacher sighed, "I could do without your commentary, Francis Morningstar." She checked both their names off her list, "But fine, he may keep the hat on for now."
After she went through the rest of the class for attendance, she ushered another student in the classroom. She turned to the rest of the class, "Children, this is our newest student, Brutus Mal. Introduce yourself to the class, young man."
Brutus was tall with dark grey skin and ink black hair. His eyes were sharp with light blue irises and dark blue sclera. He was wearing a black vest His voice was particularly rough, "Hello, my name is Brutus Mal. I am from the Mal family in the Envy Ring. I hope to get to know each and every one of you." He looked right at Francis as he said his introduction.
The young prince gave him a friendly smile and Brutus gave him an evil smile back. The new boy went to his desk in the back of the classroom, staring at Francis the whole lesson.
Later after class, Francis walked outside with his friend group. They were chattering excitedly about the goat prince's time at his sister's hotel the previous day. As Francis mentioned wanting to have his birthday party there in a few months, they were approached by Brutus and his new friend group. Brutus's friend group seemed rather nervous about something.
The new student put his hands in his pockets, "Hey, are you Francis Morningstar? Like, the son of Lucifer Morningstar."
The goat boy smiled, "Why yes I am the son of the King of Hell." He stuck his hand out for him, "Do you need somethin-"
Suddenly Brutus punched the prince in his eye, all with a smile on his face. He faced the other students, "See? I told you the prince of Hell couldn't take a punch."
Francis fell to the ground, holding his eye that throbbed in pain. He groaned, "Agh! F-fubbling bubble nuggets, that hurt!"
CJ stood in front of Francis protectively while Mort put a hand on the goat boy's shoulder. Elissa knelt down next to her friend, "Francis! Are you okay?" She glared at the bigger boy, "Why would you hit him like that?"
The taller demon shrugged, "Hey, don't get mad at me because your 'little boyfriend' can't take a punch." He then scoffed at the prince, "And 'Fubbling bubble nuggets'? Pfft, you're the son of Lucifer and you're afraid to curse? Man, you ARE a joke."
Francis couldn't help but run to the limousine, covering his eye. He threw his backpack in his other seat, embarrassed as the limo drove off. His voice was small as he held back tears, "...Take me to the hotel... Please..."
Francis hesitated but knocked on the door to the hotel later that day. He played with his fingers before Charlie opened the door. The boy looked up at his sister, "Hey, Char-"
His face was suddenly squished by his sister, she was trying to get a better look at the black eye, "Francis, what happened to you?! WHO did this to you?!" Her sclera turned red as her hair flowed around her. Her red horns popped out of her head. Charlie's reaction caused everyone in the lobby to look towards the front door.
Francis put his hands on Charlie's shoulders as she started to rage, "Charlie! Charlie, please don't. I'm okay. I really don't want to make this more of a problem than it actually is. I just got into a little fight, that's all."
His older sister clenched her fists and took a deep breath before her horns disappeared. She put her hands on Francis's, "...Okay, okay I'm sorry. I'm calm now... But, I am calling your school to give them a piece of my mind right now. You can sit here and rest as long as you want, Francis."
Despite what she said, Charlie still had her fists clenched as she walked away. Vaggie followed her, putting her hands on Charlie's shoulders comfortingly as they turned the corner.
Husk finished washing one of the glasses at his bar, "A little fight huh? Looks more like you got hit once and it was over." Angel, who was sitting on the couch, poked his head up at this.
Francis played with his fingers as he turned to look at Husk, "Well, uh... It's not THAT bad, is it? I really don't want to Dad to notice when I get home."
The cat man tilted his head as he looked at the injured eye, "...Wow, that actually looks terrible. I'm gonna grab some ice to get the swelling down." He turned to the spider demon as he noticed him rummaging through a bag, "Angel, you be nice to him. I will be right back."
Angel Dust scoffed, "Uh, excuse me. I would never!" He blew a raspberry at Husk as he left the room. The spider demon spoke up to Francis and looking through his bag, "Hey, princey, I actually have something that could cover that right up. I'll get rid of that shiner for ya, come here." His voice turned into a comforting tone, patting the seat next to him.
Francis sat next to the taller demon, allowing him to take his face in one of his pairs of hands so he could be kept steady. He closed his eyes as Angel applied the setting spray on his eye. He kept his hurt eye closed, "Wow, you sure know how to apply make up, Mr. Angel."
He kept the soft tone in his voice, "...All Rock Stars know how to apply make up, Francis. They always have to look their best." He winks at the kid, though there was a twinge of pain in his eyes as he tried not to think of his actual life outside of the hotel.
Francis smiled at him, "Oh yeah, that makes sense! I'm sure you're an awesome rock star then, Mr. Angel!"
Angel's smile turned genuine, "Hey, quit moving... So what does your sister tell you to do if someone looks like they're gonna hit you?"
The young prince scratched the back of his head, "Well, Charlie says I should talk to them to de-escalate things before they get violent." His tone of voice changed to match how his sister would say it numerous times before.
Angel Dust shrugged and folded his lower arms, "Hmm... Eh, well, sometimes your sister is just wrong."
Francis raised an eyebrow, "What? Charlie? No, my sister is never wrong."
The spider demon was done with the make up when Husk walked over and interrupted them, "Hey now. Quit it, Angel... But listen kid, it's not that your sister is wrong but you can't let some other kid beat you up whenever he feels like it. I get what he's saying, stand up for yourself."
Francis scratched his head, "Uh... Okay so how can I do that?"
The cat demon shrugged with a smile, "Well, the next time he tries to hit you, hit him back. A clean right hook should do it." He handed him the bag of ice and then demonstrated the punch for the boy.
The goat boy mimicked the motion, "A clean right hook... Okay, I'll try that. Thanks, Mr. Husk! And uh, thanks, Mr. Angel!" Angel smiled watching Francis learning from the cat demon with wings.
Francis then put the bag of ice on his eye, "Yowch! Ouch!" He quickly took the ice bag off his eye, "...May I please get a towel to wrap around this?"
Back at school, Francis sat calmly with his friends at their desks. Mort was playing a new game on his portable device as Elissa paced back and forth, "Oh... Maybe you can call your older sister? There's no way my brother will come here to protect you, even if I ask nicely!"
The goat prince smiled, "Elissa, calm down. It'll be okay, I got this!"
CJ relaxed his hands on the back of his head, "You seem pretty confident for someone who got punched in the face pretty hard yesterday."
Mort nodded silently as Francis sputtered, "I was caught off guard yesterday! Besides, my sister's friends told me all I have to do is..." He tried his best to mimic Husk's voice, "'deliver him a right hook' and he'll stop picking on me!"
Suddenly, a book slammed on the prince's desk by none other than Brutus himself. This caused Francis to flinch. The dark haired boy grinned, "Oh, so you think all you need to do is punch me once and I'll go down, huh? I'd like to see you prove that. How about we scuffle after classes end? Just you and me, princey."
Francis slammed his hands on his desk and stood up, "I'll be there! And I'll make you eat those words! With my fist!"
The two kept their glares on each other until the teacher finally came in...
Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Charlie was STILL trying to get on the phone with the principal of the royal school. She was pacing around in her room angrily, not being able to focus on happy exercises for the day. Vaggie still tried to comfort her girlfriend.
Angel, meanwhile, was sitting nervously on the couch in the lobby. He tried to focus on his phone before looking at Husk, who was working at the bar.
The cat demon tilted an eyebrow at him, "You want to check on the kid at the school to make sure he doesn't get hurt. Don't you?"
The spider demon nodded, "Well, I mean, yeah!" He tried to make it look like he didn't care, "You've seen the kid, he's like three feet tall! Whoever got him yesterday must be bigger than him. Plus we gotta make sure he doesn't come back with another black eye, that might give Charlie a heart attack. ...Damn it! Stop looking at me like that!"
Husk had to hold back a laugh, "Pffft... Whatever, come on, let's slip out before Charlie sees. We should be able to get there by three if we start walking now."
He held the door open for Angel before following him outside the hotel.
The end of classes came by too quickly for Elissa's liking though Francis kept his composure. he and Brutus made their way to the grassy field of the front of the school as a group of various other demonic students surrounded the pair. This included Francis's own group of friends, wanting to see if he would be okay. Unknown to all of the students, a familiar pair of demons hid themselves in the bushes near the fight. Husk whispered, "You sure you're not worried about the kid?"
Angel took out his phone, "No! Definitely not. And I am definitely not going to record this and show it to everyone later." He lied through his sharp teeth.
Elissa shouted from the crowd of students at Francis, "You know you don't have to fight him! We can always call your sister!" Mort put a hand on her shoulder, silently shaking his head. She pouted, "But Mort!"
Francis threw his backpack on the ground, "Mort's right, Elissa! I need to do this!"
She shook her head, "I'm sorry, WHAT?!"
CJ shrugged his shoulders at Elissa, "Well, he is the son of the Demon of Pride. Guess we can't blame him if he's being the literal Prince of Pride."
The dark haired girl groaned in her hands, "I both love and hate that boy, I swear-"
Brutus interrupted them, "Will you three stooges shut the hell up?! This is between me and mister-" He put on a baby voice to mock him, "'Prince of Darkness' over here!"
Francis kept his silence, his eyes narrowing into a glare.
Brutus jabbed his finger at the black part of the prince's hair, "You know, you went down after one punch yesterday and cried to your sister afterwards. You're such a baby! Maybe that's why your mom left you with your weird sis-"
That did it.
Francis could barely process what happened despite the fact that he was the one who threw the punch. As fast as he pointed his gross finger in the prince's hair, Francis's fist flew into his nose just as quick. The punch knocked the bigger boy off his feet and onto the grass below them.
Brutus rubs his nose before looking up at Francis, "W-what the..."
Angel hugged the cat demon next to him, holding back his cheers. Husk tried to look more annoyed at hug but smiled upon seeing the kid took his advice.
But the other boy recovered, standing over Francis, "Pfft, that was just a lucky shot! Lucky shot, guys!"
Francis took a deep breath, "Okay listen, I really don't want to hit you again. Just quit it and we can start over, alright?"
Brutus was about to laugh in the prince's face but then he saw... Something. Behind the prince was like a bigger version of Francis, but with larger horns, a bigger body and large fangs. Red eyes from the imaginary version of Francis glared down at him, leaning over the black haired boy.
Francis was unaware of the presence behind him but he did see the fear in Brutus's eyes. He glared at him, "What? Are you scared?"
The older boy shook his head, "Woah woah, what the f... No!"
The goat boy walked closer to him, mimicking a deep voice, "...Boo."
This made Brutus jump in fear before he stumbled back onto the ground in a bow as Francis still glared at him. But the sound of a car horn got his attention, he turned his head to see a red limo parked onto the road. When the door opened, he saw a familiar tall figure with blonde hair.
Charlie stepped out of the limo and quickly hugged her little brother, "Francis! Are you okay?! Where is he, where's the kid who hit you?"
Francis hugged his sister back, "Uh Charlie..." He then pointed over his shoulder to the trembling Brutus with his bloody nose, "He's right there. Mr. Angel and Mr. Husk gave me some advice and I took it. So I don't think he'll be a problem anymore." He said with a bright smile on his face.
Charlie looked at the injured boy and back at her sweet-looking brother, "Wow... Oh wow, quick, get in the limo. I'm taking you home now!" She quickly shooed Francis into her limousine. She sat next to him, buckling herself in a hurry, "Drive, drive, drive!" She turned to her younger brother, "Okay so if Dad somehow finds out about this... We hope he spares the school building."
Francis nodded and giggled, "Yeah, maybe we can tell him a different day..."
Meanwhile back at the hotel, Angel Dust burst through the door. Both him and Husk were out of breath from hurrying back to the hotel before Charlie. The taller pink demon held up his phone, "Alright, who wants to see Francis totally nail that bully in the face!"
The workers of the hotel turned their heads towards the two demons. Now surrounding them to watch the video of the young prince standing up for himself.